v, 388 pages ; 24 cm

Includes bibliographical references

A brief history of Christianity and sport : selected highlights of a puzzling relationship / James A. Mathisen -- Sport and athletics in the New Testament era -- Sport in early and medieval Christianity -- The Puritans and James I -- Muscular Christianity and "sport builds character" -- D.L. Moody, the YMCA, and sport as a means to Christian conversion -- An interlude : fifty years of uncertainty -- Christianity and sport in the 1940s-50s : Gil Dodds, Billy Graham, Youth for Christ, and the forging of a powerful symbiotic alliance -- Fifty years later : religion and sport in a maturing relationship -- Christianity and sport : a closing assessment -- A Christian perspective on sport / Michael Wittmer -- Radical Christianity : Christ against culture -- Cultural Christianity : Christ of culture -- Synthesist Christianity : Christ above culture -- Dualist Christianity : Christ and culture in paradox -- Conversionist Christianity : Christ the transformer of culture -- The ambiguity of embodiment and sport : overcoming theological dichotomies / Doug Hochstetler, Peter Hopsicker, and Scott Kretchmar -- Background information on embodiment and sport in Christianity -- Brief conclusions on problems of embodiment, sport, games, and play -- The body, sport, games, and play in the kingdom -- Conclusions -- Created to play : thoughts on play, sport, and the Christian life / K. Erik Thoennes -- Introduction -- A personal quest -- A fear -- Why we must appreciate & understand play -- Defining play -- Play and competition -- Serious play -- Play in the Bible -- A playful God -- Play and the coming kingdom -- Sabbath -- Hopeful play -- The hope of the cross -- Heaven : the play of eternity -- Conclusions -- Competition as relationship : sport as a mutual quest towards excellence / Stuart Weir -- Idols in the stadium : sport as an 'idol factory' / John White -- Introduction -- Idolatry : the significance of this religio-ethical problem for Evangelicals and sport -- The nature of idolatry : what is idolatry? -- Idolatry and sport : a religious relationship -- Varieties of idolatry : different faces in the stadium -- The business and politics of idols : toward the service of power and money -- Performative idols : citius, altius, fortius -- Conclusion -- Sport as spectacle and the perversion of play / Mark J. Hamilton -- Escaping the gender trap : sport and the equality of Christ / Donald L. Deardorff II and Julie D. Deardorff -- Redefining human, redefining sport : the imago dei and genetic modification technologies / Tracy J. Trothen -- Some preliminary thoughts on philosophies of sports ministry and their literature / Ashley Null -- Ministry through athletes -- Ministry to athletes -- A concluding contrast -- A final common ground -- Reversing the curse : practicing the presence and presents of God in sport / Valerie J. Gin -- Practicing God's presence -- Practicing His presents -- Relationship with God restored -- Relationship with self restored -- Relationship with others restored -- Relationship with creation restored -- Advancing the kingdom : Shalom in sport / Timothy G. Gombis -- Introduction -- Original design : glory of God -- Sinfulness : improper functioning -- Salvation -- Embodying Shalom -- Church and sport / Graham Daniels and J. Stuart Weir -- St. Andrew the Great Church, Cambridge, England -- Kasr el Dobara Evangelical Church, Cairo, Egypt -- "Finding the right place" : professional sport as a Christian vocation / Ashley Null -- Christian vocation against cultural achievement -- Cultural achievement as Christian vocation -- Christian vocation above culture achievement -- Christian vocation and cultural achievement -- Christian vocation as transformer of cultural achievement -- Conclusion -- The prophet of Copenhagen conversing with competitive sport : serving God and man in sport : a divided allegiance / Cindy White -- An interview : how Kierkegaard might respond to the challenge of serving God alone while participating in competitive sport -- Living for the game or for the good -- The agony of decision : seek first the kingdom of God -- Kierkegaard's prayer (adapted for coaches and athletes)

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